The love affair between man and nature is a long and enduring one and shall not here be narrated lest we all get emotional. But there are things about nature that will always be intriguing and just like you, many people also find these topics to be very interesting. This piece discusses the five things that make nature really awesome and worth our attention every time the topic comes about.

Breathtakingly vast and abundant

Yes, this is entirely obvious and there is no excuse why you should always be reminded of this (like you never get it) except that there is always an excuse when it comes to nature. There is so much diversity in nature in form of species, geological features, rivers, lakes climates and so on that you cannot even in a thousand lifetimes be expected to have had enough.

And when we talk of nature we are limited to the little that earth has allowed us to interact with an embarrassingly small portion given that there are millions of exoplanets and galaxies out there that may as well host a life curious enough to want read on.

Majestic

All humans agree that power is seductive and that is part of the reason they can’t help but hold nature in very high esteem. In one way or the other, nature has control over many of our actions and can and do determine our fates without the slightest consideration of what it is that we want with our lives a really uncool way of saying how lowly we are and how something else has all the say.

Air rifles are guns which used compressed air to propel and several types of air rifles have been produced over the years.

Air rifles categorized according to caliber and there are 4 types of caliber: .177, .22, .20, and .25.

The most common caliber is the .177 because this caliber has the same diameter as BB steel. Many guns with a caliber of .177 can fire both pellets and sparrows. The one with .177 also has flat trajectory, good penetration, and has high velocities.

The .22 caliber is the one that is mostly used for hunting down small game and animals. This caliber is also good for shooting pellets downwards because the pellets are heavier, but caliber .177 can shoot at a farther distance.

The .20 caliber is not as popular as the .177 and the .22 but it has fast trajectory, high velocities, and the downward shooting is enough for small game hunting. Some consider this as the perfect air rifle because it combines the high velocity and the energy that both .177 and .22 has.

The one that is getting much attention is the .25 caliber because it is not chambered in many rifles, but this caliber is great for downward shooting and for humane killing. The trajectory is not as fast as the other calibers so the direction of the trajectory is like a rainbow. This is the best caliber for any small game hunter.

It is mostly used for hunting small game and for killing pests. You can also sue this to kill games which have the size of a raccoon. Air rifles can shoot as far as 30 yards.

Air rifle shooting contests are popular in the US for gam hunting seasons. During off season, the big game hunters use air rifles to practice because they find it less costly and it does not cause too much noise unlike the rifles they use for killing bigger game. Air rifles can also be used in your own backyard to kill pests and for practicing in air fields.

It is not anymore considered a toy because a lot of models have come out and people are using it to practice killing small game for the on-season contests. It all depends on how you will use it, but if you look at the differences between the calibers, it is easy to compare them and even if you are a beginner, you won’t have a hard time choosing which one you want. You can compare them on shooting and safety.

Some air rifles cost more than the others depending on the caliber, pellets used, material, trajectory and brand. Consider where you will use it to be able to choose the perfect fit for you. Whether if it is for small game hunting, pest control problems, or for fun there are calibers appropriate to suit all of your needs. Ask someone who has an experience using air rifles to better understand its power, velocity and capacity. You can learn more over at the airriflezone.com

If it’s your first foray in the archery sport, choosing the right crossbow might seem like a daunting task. There’s a ton of options and without knowing the criteria by which to choose, you can end up with a crossbow you’ll be disappointed in. So here are some recommendations what to look for before making a purchasing decision.

Weight of the Crossbow

That’s essential for how easy and comfortable will it be for you to hold the crossbow. If you will be using it for hunting and will be doing a lot of long distance walking, you might want to look for a more lightweight crossbow. However, keep in mind that the benefit of heavier weight is a more steady aim. But with good practice, you can become just as accurate with a lighter one.

Draw Weight

Most crossbows have the draw weight range between 75 and 200 pounds. The draw weight refers to the amount of force that is required to cock the crossbow. Higher draw weight means a more deadly shot. For hunting it’s recommended to not go below 150 pounds. Depending on what you will be hunting, you might need it higher. For target shooting lower weight will be fine.

Keep in mind though how much you can physically draw back. To make this process easier and to be able to draw heavier weight you can use an aid such as a rope cocking device.

Velocity

Velocity is the speed that the arrow can travel and which measures feet per second. The speed is usually determined by the combination of the crossbow’s draw weight and the weight of the used arrows. A lighter arrow will travel faster compared to a heavier one. The package of the crossbows usually includes arrows of certain weight. In the specifications of the crossbow you will find the velocity, which is calculated using the arrows of the same weight as the included ones in the package.

Power Stroke

Power stroke refers to the distance between the loose position of the string and its cocked position. Usually the stroke ranges between 10 and 14 inches. A higher stroke will make the shot more powerful. However, it’s not such an important feature to consider. More important is the draw weight, and the stroke should just have proper adjustment to it.

Energy output

If you want a deadlier shot, look for a higher energy output. It depends on the draw weight and the power stroke of the crossbow. So for the higher energy output, the crossbow should have a longer power stroke and a higher draw weight. So there will be more energy transferred from the string to the arrow when you release it.

These are the main features to look for. Depending on your physical ability and what you will be using the crossbow for, one or the other model will be more suitable for you. So if you will be hunting with the crossbow, you would want a more powerful one. And for target shooting and beginner archers, on the other hand, a lighter and lower draw weight crossbow would do just fine.

If you’ll want more tips or still not sure which crossbow to choose, you can check out the Archer’s Café. They have the best crossbow models listed and reviewed there. They also give advice which crossbows are best for hunting, which are better for just target shooting, as well as other useful advice.

Make no mistake about it, hunting is a raw hobby that is about how the man can control its environment, and win over the game. If you look back and think about how it used to be for survival today this is all about having fun. Hunting equipment have become an even bigger part of making the most of your hunting trips.

One of the most important tools for any hunter today is a game camera that keeps an eye out for the game while you do other things and reports back to you what has been going on in the location of the camera. In this article I will guide you through the most important aspects to think about when it comes to game camera’s and what you need to know before you go and buy one.

Various Types Of Trail Cameras

Cellular trail cams

Cellular trail cams can prove to be the best hunting partners if one happens to be going for a game in the woods. Cellular trail cameras use a text-only SIM from a GSM provider and can text or email pictures it takes over the network.

Cellular trail cameras are scouting devices and most of them send pictures to a remote device about 60 seconds after the photograph has been taken. The pictures can be sent to email address or a cell phone number. Cellular trail cameras come bundled with MMS modules so that the camera can transmit videos or pictures through the carrier. The best thing about cellular trail cameras is the fact that they consume less energy while transmitting pictures and also while on standby as well.

A number of cellular trail cameras used for monitoring events or animal observation are motion triggered and they can be used as security cameras for homes and offices as well.

Motion Activated Trail Cameras

These trail cameras, detect movement or heat from a body to activate the camera trigger. There are a number of motion activated trail cameras in the market that have a trigger speed of about a fraction of a second. These cameras thus allow users to capture images of animals in action, for example, with a motion activated trail camera, a hunter can capture the image of a doe running away from a buck just a few feet behind it. The use of motion sensor or heat sensor trail cameras is a bit tricky. They need to be placed in open areas where there isn’t anything blocking the view of the camera. Nobody would want to end up with pictures of leaves and weeds instead of the game they so intended to capture on camera.

Motion activated trail cameras can also be great for home security usage as well. Since these cameras can be activated automatically sensing motion or heat, they can be used effectively for surveillance and as CCTV cameras as well. Motion activated cameras that have heat sensors in them can be great for night time game and security surveillance as well.

There are various varieties and brands available in the market, selling motion activated and heat sensing trail cameras. There is a wide range of information and trail camera reviews online that can assist you with finding the best trail camera (e.g. www.besttrailcamerareviews.org) but in this article we will take a look at some important features to be considered when it comes to trail cameras.

Wireless, Wi-Fi Trail Cameras

Wireless trail cameras are similar to cellular trail cameras as they transfer pictures and videos over a cellular network. The network coverage is provided by a number of leading cellular companies and the cameras have built-in antennas to catch and strengthen the signals in areas where coverage or reception is not that great.

However, the latest in technology are the Wi-Fi enable trail cameras. Wireless cameras work best in concentrated urban areas but Wi-Fi enabled trail cameras can be great when you go to remote areas for hunting. If you have a Wi-Fi enabled device, such as an iPhone, an android cell phone, a laptop that can be use your Wi-Fi or be converted to a Wi-Fi hotspot you can use your trail camera and access pictures from about hundreds of feet away, depending on the technology and model of the Wi-Fi enabled trail camera that you have. You will be able to access, view, download, edit, delete or do whatever you want to do with the images without having to be physically present near the camera with the help of Wi-Fi enabled technology. Because of a Wi-Fi enabled trail cam, users will never have to worry about swapping SD cards from the camera and the hunting area will never be disturbed once the camera is set and ready to shoot.

Infrared Trail Cameras

If one wants to observe nocturnal activities and also daytime activities of animals such as deer, foxes, squirrels or any other game, infrared trail cameras are a great option. Because a traditional flash can scare off animals in the wild during the night, infrared trail cameras are more preferred by hunters around the world. Also the infrared trail cameras come very handy as security and surveillance devices as they are more or less invisible to the human eye and therefore can capture still images and footages of the subject without alerting them to the presence of a camera nearby.

The only problem that is associated with infrared cameras is the fact that they take grainy pictures at night. Low quality infrared trail cameras will allow you to just judge the outline of the subject in the images or just track the movement of the silhouette of the subject in the dark. The picture quality will be grainy at night but will improve in the daytime.

If you want a high end trail camera with an infrared flash you can try getting the more expensive ones. Although they are going to cost you more, but they will give you high definition pictures which will enable you to determine the color of the subjects as well rather than giving a grainy, colorless, black and white image.

Flash/ Incandescent Trail Cameras

Incandescent or flash trail cameras as they are commonly known will allow you to capture colored images of the subject even during the night as well. Resolution and picture quality is definitely better as compared to infrared cameras. However there are various drawbacks to using an incandescent flash trail camera. First of all if you use flash during the night there is a 100% chance of spooking the subject. The animals will definitely be scared and will not enter the camera area again. Also they use up more energy and more battery life as compared to infrared cameras. The trigger time and recovery time for incandescent flash cameras is always slower than infrared cameras.

When incandescent cameras are used for security and surveillance at night, they definitely will attract attention of people to the location of the camera. Then what will be the purpose of using a camera for hidden surveillance or anything of the similar sort. Nobody would want to compromise their game or their security just to get colored images during the night time.

For security

Usually infrared trail cameras are used for security and surveillance purposed at homes, in offices and other public/private properties and areas. Although infrared cameras capture grainy images but they do this discreetly and this is one of the biggest and very important benefit that makes them very useful security cameras.

Usually security cameras or CCTV cameras use infrared technology for security purposes. These don’t have a flash and therefore don’t attract any attention whatsoever to themselves. Also this use up low energy and less battery consumption therefore they are best for outdoor security. It is best to use infrared trail cameras for security purposes as they have lesser response time.

You will get a number of heat and motion activated cameras that can be used for security and surveillance purposes during the night time because of infrared flash technology. Quality of the picture is not the concern of security, hunting or trail cameras; therefore those with infrared flash should be more preferred.

If you happen to go out and search the market, you will be able to find one perfect trail camera that has all the features you have separately read about here.

Man and hunting go along way with every man alive having a hunter’s gene in them passed down from generations and generations of hunters and gatherers who forged their lives by terrorizing mostly small rodents and sometimes sickly mammoths.

And just like it was back then, there is no chance in making it as a great hunter without the right strategy, preparation and tools. Today’s hunting is quite different than that of our beloved ancestors with some people doing it for fun, others for food and others still as a population control measure but whether you are out to take a sloth or a buffalo, there are hunting essentials that you should always have.

Here is a list of the five must have hunting essentials you should carry along in your every hunting expedition.

Backpack

A backpack is where you will put most of the things that you will need during your hunting expedition such as match sticks, water, knives food and so on. Be informed that you will need a good one for that matter otherwise some other hunter will look down on you because hunting is a really competitive sport requiring that you win from A-Z. But really, you must have a backpack that will serve you well and which should not be very heavy lest it drains all your energy away especially because hunting may have you walking several miles on foot. It also has to be tough and a leather backpack if available to you would be best as it is less prone to tear and wear.

A Hunting knife or Survival Knife

A survival knife is a very important tool as it is used to kill the prey, tear the meat away, for self-defense and for marking paths followed. Without a proper survival knife, you can be scarcely considered a hunter because certainly you cannot be expected to leave your hunters mark like a bear leaves them with its claws. You can read about the top survival knifes over at www.besthuntingknives.org/best-survival-knife.

Compass

Great hunting is about following prey and covering long distances in search of action and if you are in the wild and alone, it is best to always have a sense of direction because without this getting lost is always an alternative. A compass will tell you where home is and where help is most likely to be found in case anything was to go wrong.

Food supplies

Hunting is energy intensive and even if you are doing it for food, it is not always given that you will catch something during your first several trials. Also remember to carry fresh and clean water as part of your food supplies because both thirst and hunger are known to follow a hunter’s path.

Lighter/ matches

A lighter or a match box will help you start a fire that may serve you in several ways including warming you up when it’s cold, cooking your meals and keeping wild animals away from your camp at night. Also a lighter will help start the fire signals that will pinpoint your location in case you get lost and a rescue service is out looking for you.

If you try to imagine what the first ever camping site looked like, you most certainly must be convinced that at night it was pathetic and indefensible against attacks from the saber tooth and other unworldly creatures at the same time, you will agree that during the day, it was a place of dance, feasting and mating.

Fast forward today and you realize that the camp site hasn’t changed that much except for the case of mythical creatures terrorizing the night and the fact that there are no more bunnies and he goats being sacrificed to appease the gods. But what really makes a campsite today? Here is the camping checklist that you should tick before heading out for camp.

Tent

Unless you want to camp on a cave, a tent is a must have and there is no other way that you can go about this. A camping tent is where you will put your supplies, lie down at night and find shelter when faced with danger or unwelcome weather conditions. When choosing your tent, it is important to choose a tent with a larger berth for extra space and an electric hook up where you can hang your lantern. A tent that also has extra accessories like spare tent pegs, tent torch and a tent carpet will also serve you better than one without.

Food supplies

Even Spartacus carried food wherever he fought and went and so don’t think that you can camp on an empty stomach unless your tent is one of those futuristic types that are edible. Your food supplies and which include water in this case will keep you full and with enough energy to participate in other camp related activities such as hunting and hiking. Make sure that you keep your food safe enough that ants can’t find it or a bear roaming otherwise it wouldn’t have helped to carry any.

Lighter/ match sticks

For a tent in the wilderness, you will need something to light up a fire. Fire will keep you warm while also helping you cook some of the wild geese that may have caught by the trap set by some other hunter. Most importantly however, fire will keep things such as wolves and bear away as these can easily tear you apart.

First aid kit

When camping in the wild, you might realize that help is not immediately available if anything were to go wrong. That is why you need to have a first aid kit with you all the time so that by the time help arrives, you have already done the best you can.

Defense

This could be a gun, a spear, a crossbow or a knife but you must have a way of keeping off intruders because in the wild, you never know what will happen. But if it was a matter of choice the thing that you are better off having is the hunting knife and this is because it has the potential of serving very many and varied purposes plus you can easily carry it around.

Of course there are many more camping essentials to talk about but these will always be secondary to the above five as the story of man and camping will always be about these.

The wild has always intrigued man and no matter how fixated we are on living in the concrete jungles that we call home, few are able to resist the call of the wild. And mostly for good reasons, the wild is calm and tranquil, full of adventure, endearing, magical and most importantly wild in the sense that it is not what we are used to.

So let’s say you paid a visit to a wild place like a nature reserve in the beautiful state of Maine what things wild or not are there to do? While you might be tempted to think that this is an entirely wild thing to ask (there is nothing not to be done in the wild), it is excusable in fact, it is a fairly good question that should take up some of our time in any case, there are few topics as interesting as are topics about going wild.

Hunting

How obvious can it get that you can hunt in the wild? Well, it is not that obvious and here is the reason why not everybody is sure of their hunting skills this is despite their grandfathers making it as great hunters during their cave days and with some nature reservations and governments putting a strict limit on what you can chase down, hunting is hurt in the process. But hey there is nowhere else that you can hunt if not in the wild so don’t consider going anywhere else.

Camping

This is one of the most popular things that goes on in the wild. Camping in the wild is full of incredible rewards inform of peace, chance and wildness. So what are chance and wildness? Chance means that you have just that the chance to do a lot of things while camping here like hiking, hunting, nature watching and so on. On the other hand, wildness is about rules and if it pleases you to know you can roam and roar like a black bear even in your tiny camping tent and still answer to no one and this happens only in the wild.

Hiking

Most wild places are full of these nature trails and mountain paths which if followed will take you to some of the most picturesque and breathtaking places that you’ve ever seen. In the wild you can hike all you want and with friends and family or without. Hiking in the wild is also a fun filled exercise solution that is pursued by many people and whom you would say find the wild things irresistible.

Nature watching

The wild is where all the action is in the sense that it is where coyotes have sex and bears groan. In other words, the wild is a great place to watch and film such amazing things as are a moose fighting a mouse, a bear chasing a moose and a coyote having sex.

You can place as many cameras as you want and in as many places, follow the lives of as many coyotes as possible until you capture your favorite coyote moment. That is what it means to go wild.

Whether it is a baboon making out with another baboon or a pack of wolves hunting down a moose, there is always something interesting about wildlife. And the fact that wildlife is easily accessible in multiple locations such as in zoos and nature reserves around the country and the world makes the fun even more welcoming. But what keeps man fascinated and fixated on wildlife? Here are five reasons that even your friends would agree on.

Diversity

Wildlife is diverse and comes in all shapes and sizes not to mention, wildlife is to be found in every corner of the planet no matter how harsh or welcoming it is. There is no getting boring when it comes to wildlife and you can choose between the elephant and the panda or even have them both as your favorites because with so much to choose from it all depends on you.

Each has a story about it

Forget that your life is full of this or that, the daily goings on of the life of let’s say a buffalo can read like a script from a New York Times best seller. In fact, most of the engaging, fascinating and award winning documentaries are about the lives of animals, their hopes, aspirations and moments in life. We love them for their stories and look forward to knowing more about them for the same reason.

Remind us of ourselves

A struggle in life is a struggle is life no matter whose life it is we are talking about so the moment we see two bunnies mating in the wild, or a mountain lion as it fiercely defends its territory, it reminds us of something about ourselves. Furthermore, the rules of engagement, of competition, of success are universally shared between man and wildlife and we identify with these even on the slow acting sloth.

Inspiring

To watch a mother cheetah as she desperately and successfully protects her young against all odds or to watch a sloth painstakingly climb a tree despite all the laziness is really inspiring. Inspiring stories and moments are not only restricted to these two animals as every wild animal has an inspiring story to tell and this is because their lives revolve around making it every day without the slightest help from any advantages that may have come the animal’s way the other day. To these animals, every day is a fighting day.

So next time you want to rise up after a damning fall in your life, do not go searching for an inspiring quote from Wordsworth or Robert Browning the daily struggles of a hyena will serve you well.

Provide lots of opportunities for us

When you see a moose you want to chase it down and when you spot a fat salmon you want it in your next meal and this is what opportunity means to each of us. Wild animals apart from providing us with a lot of interesting facts about nature, life and ourselves (some birds inspired Darwin to write the origin of the species) also provide us with excellent recreational opportunities such as hunting, game watching and fishing all of which make them even more endearing to us.

If you take your readings seriously, and even if have not taken them as seriously, it must be known to you that the man and fitness go a long way and that the more fit you are the more natural selection favors you whether in the wild or in your backyard.

Or conversely, that the more someone else looks healthier and younger than you, the more they will attract resources and success in their lives as compared to you. Okay, you may not understand natural selection this way but the logic is the same and just for recaps, here are 4 ways you can use to stay fit and ahead of the pack.

Hunting

Hunting involves a lot of calorie burning activities with the foremost of these being thinking about how to corner your prey (the brain consumes a fifth of our energy reserves). Not to mention, hunting will also have you running, anxious and doing some other activities like throwing stuff all of which are very energy intensive.

If you are serious about hunting, you can visit a nature reserve in a place like Maine where you and your friends or family can do just that. Remember to carry your hunting gear with you because hunting is a bit involving and requires more preparation than cooking although it is more fun than can here be described.

Exercise

Exercise means a lot of things and any activity that you engage in and which burns calories while helping you melt some fat might as well be considered as exercise. However, the exercise we are talking about is that which happens in a controlled setting like in a gym or a fitness club. Breaking a sweat on a treadmill or an elliptical machine for instance goes a long way in ensuring that you not only look younger than the next guy but that you also get the chance of living longer a really good thing considering that your favorite TV show might last just as long.

Hiking

Hiking is another cool way of saying yes to fitness and this is because it involves all the major muscles of the body while also serving as a great outdoor recreational activity. Moreover much of the hiking that people talk about including this hiking happens in nature reserves where wildlife and breathtaking landscapes happen to be in abundance all of which will add value to your life.

Dieting

To be fair, dieting is boring unless you are eating really good and delicious food (something rare) or are dieting somewhere in the wildness in a camp where you are compensated for dieting by getting to see some moose mating all day. But hey, dieting works too and it will keep you fit enough to earn you some health benefits and well-deserved attention from friends and foes alike. However if burning calories is all that you are worried about, my advice is that you should go on and do some energy intensive activity like hunting or sport fishing after which you can eat all the food that you want with reckless abandon because after all you will sweat it all.